June 2011 Romania Match
Match Setting This match was the return match, from that great 2-2 draw of March. It was set into the Group D of the UEFA Euro Championship Qualifiers, where Romania was in 2nd place with 10 points, while Bosnia came in third with 7 points. This staged a match in which the points mattered, for this "second place" rivals. and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina's last match was the 2-2 draw with Romania, and the Romanians last match was a 4-0 rout over Luxembourg. The match was played in Bucarest, in the Steaua Stadium, with an attendance of 24685 fans. Squad The squad was announced on June 12th and consisted of 23 players, most of which play abroad with the exception of Edin Visca and Haris Handzic, who both play in the Adriatic Superleague. It consisted on 3 GK, 5 Defensemen, 12 Midfielders and 3 Strikers. Hoffenheim, with 2 players, was the most represented team. While the German Bundesliga, was the most represented league with 5 players. Adnan Secerovic was set for his first international cap, if he had the oportunity to enter the pitch. The squad list is after the break: 23-man Squad Missing Players Zvjezdan Misimovic missed the match with a pulled hamstring injury. Ibrahim Sehic was left out due to a technical reason. Ognjen Vranjes was given a rest, due to his fatigued status. Miralem Pjanic was recently recovering from an injury, his status was doubtful for the match Tactics Asmir Begovic solidified himself in the goalkeeper position, winning the 1-on-1 to Kenan Hasagic. Said Husejinovic had a great season in Werder Bremen, and he was chosen as the starter for this match. As Miralem Pjanic wasn't fit enough to play, he was replaced by Senijad Ibricic. Finally, during the week, Ermin Zec performed admirably in training, which led to him being the starter, over Vedad Ibisevic. The starting squad and their roles was as follow. Result and Analysis In a fought match, Romania came up top, winning 3-2 Analysis Bosnia and Herzegovina started fired up, and just 17 seconds in, Ermin Zec scored an aweseome goal, with a lob to Lobont, the Romanian keeper. Just one minute after, he had another chance to score, but was denied by the post. After the initial burst, the Bosnians became a little complacent, which lead to Romania taking control of the game, which was capitalized by Costin Lazar at the 13th minute. The first half ended 1-1, with both teams fighting for the control of the match. The second half started opposite from the first one, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, was simply brushed aside, and it became an unilateral match. Dorin Goian (48') and Mirel Radoi (75') put Romania up 3-1, and the Bosnians, who were already playing with 3 strikers (Ibisevic entered for Ibricic at the 60th minute) tried to regain control of the match, but they were too imprecise. Finally, at the 92th minute Edin Dzeko sentenced the goal for the final result. On a side note, with that late goal, Dzeko equalised Elvir Bolic's record of 24 international goals. Important Stats Possession % = 58-42 Passes Completed % = 83-66 Shots 25-14 Clear Cut Chances 0-1 Long Shots = 16-3 Individual Performances Costin Lazar was the man of the match, after scoring Romania's first goal. Ermin Zec was Bosnia's best player, with a goal, and always dangerous up-front. He was rated an 8.3 Edin Dzeko also had a good game, scoring a goal, and overcoming Elvir Bolic as Bosnia and Herzegovina all time scorer. Game rating = 7.4